All PlansBilling CodesMedium impact
Payment Policy Updates
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield·Anesthesiology·Reimbursement
Effective date
Nov 1, 2025
We identified it
Jun 20, 2026
Summary
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has made two payment policy changes: a new policy for outpatient services prior to inpatient admission (effective Jan 1, 2026) and an update to the anesthesia policy removing the modifier requirement for CPT 01966 (effective Nov 1, 2025).
Action Required
By November 1, 2025: Billing team must update billing software and staff training to remove the requirement for anesthesia modifiers when billing CPT code 01966 for time-based anesthesia services. Review the new outpatient services prior to admission policy (PP CO 017.02) before January 1, 2026 implementation date.